Hello all and welcome to the coverage of Big Bash League. Today Melbourne Stars are vying for a place in the semi-finals. They are playing Sydney Thunder who will make their eighth attempt to get a couple of points.

Cameron White is the captain for Melbourne Stars as Shane Warne is serving a suspension. He wins the toss and Stars are batting first.

0.1

Doran to Quiney,
1 run,
punches down to long on

0.2

Doran to Wright,
no run,
defended back to the bowler

0.3

Doran to Wright,
1 run,
worked to the leg side, they think about two, but Doran fields very well off his own bowling

0.4

Doran to Quiney,
no run,
worked to short fine leg

0.5

Doran to Quiney,
1 run,
flicked through square leg, probably should have been two there

0.6

Doran to Wright,
no run,
cuts off leg stump to gully

End of over 1 (3 runs)
Melbourne Stars 3/0

LJ Wright1 (3b)

RJ Quiney2 (3b)

LA Doran1-0-3-0

1.1

Sandhu to Quiney,
no run,
defends to cover, nice area to start

1.2

Sandhu to Quiney,
1 wide,
strays just down the leg side

1.2

Sandhu to Quiney,
FOUR,
full outside off, opens the face on the drive, glorious shot through gully

1.3

Sandhu to Quiney,
1 run,
shortish on leg, chipped up through square leg but it lands safely

1.4

Sandhu to Wright,
no run,
back of a length outside off, rocks back and smashes it straight to mid wicket

1.5

Sandhu to Wright,
1 run,
back of a length outside off, works down to square leg

1.6

Sandhu to Quiney,
1 wide,
full and strays down leg

1.6

Sandhu to Quiney,
2 runs,
full on leg, flicks high out to deep mid wicket, lands just short of the man on the rope

End of over 2 (10 runs)
Melbourne Stars 13/0

RJ Quiney9 (7b 1x4)

LJ Wright2 (5b)

GS Sandhu1-0-10-0

LA Doran1-0-3-0

2.1

Nannes to Wright,
no run,
good zip on off peg, gets forward to defend

2.2

Nannes to Wright,
no run,
that's quick, ducks under a lethal bouncer

2.3

Nannes to Wright,
FOUR,
length on off, picks it up early and he just smashes it straight back over the bowler's head

2.4

Nannes to Wright,
OUT,
back of a length, pushes it down to cover and they take a very risky single, Gayle charges in and hits from short range but with just one stump to hit, great run out

LJ Wright run out 6 (13m 9b 1x4 0x6) SR: 66.66

2.5

Nannes to Quiney,
1 run,
worked to square leg

2.6

Nannes to Hodge,
no run,
back of a length, defended to point

End of over 3 (5 runs)
Melbourne Stars 18/1

BJ Hodge0 (1b)

RJ Quiney10 (8b 1x4)

DP Nannes1-0-5-0

GS Sandhu1-0-10-0

3.1

Sandhu to Quiney,
1 run,
back of a length, pulled through square leg

3.2

Sandhu to Hodge,
3 runs,
length outside off, cut through point and there's a poor misfield

3.3

Sandhu to Quiney,
1 run,
big inside edge on the drive squirts out to mid wicket

3.4

Sandhu to Hodge,
1 run,
sharp single as Sandhu fields off his own bowling, would have been out had he hit

3.5

Sandhu to Quiney,
no run,
punched to mid on

3.6

Sandhu to Quiney,
1 leg bye,
off the pads to short fine leg

End of over 4 (7 runs)
Melbourne Stars 25/1

RJ Quiney12 (12b 1x4)

BJ Hodge4 (3b)

GS Sandhu2-0-16-0

DP Nannes1-0-5-0

4.1

Nannes to Quiney,
1 run,
full on off, driven hard back to the bowler who can't field cleanly

4.2

Nannes to Hodge,
no run,
back of a length on off, defends down to the off side, bit of indecision but they decide against the run

4.3

Nannes to Hodge,
no run,
driven to cover

4.4

Nannes to Hodge,
1 run,
chases him with the short ball, defends down to the leg side

4.5

Nannes to Quiney,
no run,
length on off, defended to cover

4.6

Nannes to Quiney,
1 run,
full on off, driven to mid off

End of over 5 (3 runs)
Melbourne Stars 28/1

RJ Quiney14 (15b 1x4)

BJ Hodge5 (6b)

DP Nannes2-0-8-0

GS Sandhu2-0-16-0

5.1

Abbott to Quiney,
FOUR,
gives him some width outside off and he takes full advantage slogging it over cover, one bounce over the rope

5.2

Abbott to Quiney,
FOUR,
short on off this time, rocks back and pulls through mid wicket

5.3

Abbott to Quiney,
no run,
slower ball, length on off, defended back to the bowler

5.4

Abbott to Quiney,
OUT,
slower ball beats him in flight and it goes straight up in the air, there is almost a mix-up between Khawaja and Cosgrove, but the catch is taken

RJ Quiney c Khawaja b Abbott 22 (27m 19b 3x4 0x6) SR: 115.78

5.5

Abbott to Hodge,
1 run,
guided to third man

5.6

Abbott to Hussey,
no run,
length on off, defended on the back foot

End of over 6 (9 runs)
Melbourne Stars 37/2

DJ Hussey0 (1b)

BJ Hodge6 (7b)

SA Abbott1-0-9-1

DP Nannes2-0-8-0

6.1

Doran to Hodge,
FOUR,
flicks through fine leg with great placement and timing, just beats the 'fast' moving Cosgrove

6.2

Doran to Hodge,
1 run

6.3

Doran to Hussey,
2 runs

6.4

Doran to Hussey,
1 run

6.5

Doran to Hodge,
1 run

6.6

Doran to Hussey,
1 run

End of over 7 (10 runs)
Melbourne Stars 47/2

DJ Hussey4 (4b)

BJ Hodge12 (10b 1x4)

LA Doran2-0-13-0

SA Abbott1-0-9-1

7.1

Zampa to Hussey,
2 runs,
cut through backward point

7.2

Zampa to Hussey,
1 run,
cut through point

7.3

Zampa to Hodge,
1 run,
cut to gully

7.4

Zampa to Hussey,
2 runs,
drives through mid on

7.5

Zampa to Hussey,
1 run,
takes the pace off it, top spinner finds a top edge but doesn't find a fielder

7.6

Zampa to Hodge,
1 run,
flicked to short fine leg

End of over 8 (8 runs)
Melbourne Stars 55/2

BJ Hodge14 (12b 1x4)

DJ Hussey10 (8b)

A Zampa1-0-8-0

LA Doran2-0-13-0

8.1

Keen to Hodge,
1 run,
length on off, guided to third man

8.2

Keen to Hussey,
1 run,
length outside off, cut into the ground out to point

8.3

Keen to Hodge,
no run

8.4

Keen to Hodge,
1 run,
guided to third man

8.5

Keen to Hussey,
1 run,
driven to long on

8.6

Keen to Hodge,
FOUR,
short on off, hooks and despite a top edge he finds the gap backward of square

Gayle to Mascarenhas,
OUT,
gets under this one but doesn't get quite enough as he puts it down long on's throat, who almost dropped it!

AD Mascarenhas c Khawaja b Gayle 1 (1m 2b 0x4 0x6) SR: 50.00

19.6

Gayle to Faulkner,
2 runs,
full and driven to long off

Well the Thunder have done brilliantly well to restrict the Stars, conceding just 18 off the final four overs. Gayle will be desperate to put an ordinary Big Bash behind him with a big score tonight. Stay tuned for the chase.